Why Apple Got Rid Of The 2021 MacBook Pro's Touch Bar
Apple's 2021 MacBook Pro brings a lot of good to the table, though it has one big missing feature that's been on the last few generations — a Touch Bar. With the big MacBook Pro redesign in 2016, Apple introduced a few controversial design changes. It made the laptop considerably thinner, removed many of its legacy ports in favor of USB-C, and added the iconic Touch Bar above the keyboard.
On most laptops, the top section of the keyboard has a set of function keys used for various shortcuts. It's a setup that's worked incredibly well over the years, but Apple envisioned a more modern approach with the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar is a small OLED strip along the entire width of the keyboard that changes based on the application being used. In Safari, the Touch Bar shows the URL bar, website shortcuts, and other helpful info. In an app like Apple Mail, it offers quick access to compose, forward, and archive buttons. Users can still bring up virtual function keys if they wish, but the idea of the Touch Bar is that it can be more adaptive and interactive than laptops without it.
Related: Why Does Apple's Studio Display Have An A13 Chip & 64GB Of Storage?
That's what makes the 2021 MacBook Pro so peculiar. In most ways, it's a considerable upgrade over MacBook Pros that have come before it. It has a more modern design, nicer display, additional ports, and faster performance. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the Touch Bar is MIA. Despite being present on every MacBook Pro since 2016, the 2021 MacBook Pro doesn't have the Touch Bar at all. Instead, it has a row of physical function keys just like any other laptop.
Although it didn't spend too much time reflecting on the change, Apple did address the Touch
Read more on screenrant.com
